Where does “poetry” come from?
Poetry derives from Middle English poetrye, from Old French pöeterie, from Medieval Latin poetria, from Latin poeta, from Ancient Greek ποιητής, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -teh₂ts, an agent noun suffix.
poetry (English): Literature composed in verse or language...
Definitions
- Literature composed in verse or language...
Ancestry of “poetry”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | poetrye | — |
| 2 | Old French | pöeterie | — |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | poetria | poetry, poesy; poetess |
| 4 | Latin | poēta | poet |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ποιητής | A maker, inventor, lawgiver; The composer of a... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -τής | Appended to verbs to form agent nouns |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | πεῖρα | trial, experiment, attempt |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |